


More Hearts Than Mine

by asliceoftoast



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M, Family, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23705755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asliceoftoast/pseuds/asliceoftoast
Summary: April visits the Kepner household.
Relationships: Jackson Avery/April Kepner
Kudos: 20





	More Hearts Than Mine

The glow of porch lights illuminated the country night sky. Jackson looked over to his sleeping wife, her head bent at an awkward angle to rest against her shoulder. He turned the key in the ignition port, the soft purr of the engine quieting. Jackson waited a moment before waking her, partly because he was nervous to see his new in-laws, but mostly because he wanted to commit this moment to memory. He savored every second that he got to spend with his wife - he loved the sound of that - especially after they wasted all that time apart. When Jackson saw the front door open, he knew that it was time to go inside.

"April," he whispered after placing a kiss to her cheek, "wake up. We're here."

The redhead's brows furrowed in annoyance before her eyes opened to reveal her hazel irises. "What time is it?" A yawn escaped, as she stretched, working on massaging out the kink in her neck.

"Just after 10. Let's get on inside. Your parents are on the porch." Jackson turned to exit the vehicle, but April grabbed his hand to catch his attention once more.

"Nervous?" April asked, a huge yawn escaping her tiny frame.

"Sorta." The last time the elder Kepners had seen the newlyweds, the two doctors had been running out of one wedding to dive straight into another. "What if they don't like me? What if they think that you made a mistake- if we made a mistake? What if-" April cut off her husband's worried ramble with a kiss.

April wore a soft smile. "Jackson, they won't think that. You make me happy. That's what matters to them." A million thoughts ran through his head, but his fears eased as April's petite hands framed his face, scratching gently at his layer of stubble. "And if they don't agree with our relationship, I'm sure they'll be fine once we tell them the good news. A baby always softens them right up." Jackson hummed in agreement, nipping at her plush lips before caressing the little bump to her stomach where their child was growing.

To say that the pregnancy was a shock would be an understatement, but considering all the extra-curricular activity they had engaged in on their short-lived honeymoon, the presence of the little avocado-sized fetus growing in April's tiny frame made a little more sense. It wasn't their fault that they couldn't keep their hands off each other. The newlyweds experienced the joy of listening to the baby's heartbeat at her ultrasound a month prior but had found out the gender of their baby at their most recent visit.

They were only staying for a long weekend, but as always, April had overpacked. She seemingly had forgotten about the existence of laundry machines while shoving her entire closet into her luggage. Jackson dragged their two bags up to the front porch while April grabbed a tiny gift-wrapped box from the back seat. She hugged her mother first, her dad leaning on a white beam, as he watched his daughter with adoration.

When the Kepners' attention turned from their daughter to him, Jackson's breath caught for a moment under their harsh stare. April slipped her hand into his, her touch sending calmness through his body. The Kepners gave a curt greeting to the man they viewed wrecked their daughter's fairytale but led the two inside.

They gathered around the dining room table, the two couples at opposite ends. April had the blue box in front of her on the table, her mother subtly eyeing it. The four sat in silence, unsure of how to address the elephant in the room. After a matter of time, April cleared her throat and spoke with all the confidence she could muster up. "Mom. Dad. I'm married."

"You mean you ran from one wedding straight to another?" her mother hissed.

Jackson's grip on his wife's hands tightened, as they tried to defend their relationship. "Mrs. Kepner, if I may-"

"No," she snapped. "you may not! This mess is your fault. Do you understand what you've done? You embarrassed Matthew in front of his friends and family. Embarrassed us!" She refocused her attention on her daughter, her face flushed as her anger flared.

"Momma!" April's face scrunched up, the tears she tried to repress spilled down her cheeks. "I know-" she inhaled shakily, "I know I should have figured everything out before the wedding, but I was confused. And then I wasn't." He reached out to his wife, her hand in his, unified as she spoke. "'Cause Jackson stood up, and it all fell into place." The two looked at each other, the love radiating in waves. April took a breath, facing her parents once more. "I don't- I won't apologize for who I love. I love Jackson. I couldn't get married to Matthew. He's a great guy, but he's not the one." Her mother sighed, defeated. "I'm sorry that our actions were rash and hurt people, but I do not regret what I did."

Her father sighed, a hand rubbing his forehead while the man tried to find the right words to say to the young couple. "I'm glad you're happy, April. That's all we want, so if Jackson really is the guy that you claim him to be, then wedding fiasco aside, we're happy for you. Right, Karen?" April's mother grumbled in agreement.

The tension in the room hung in the room, but the burden had halved, and the weight lifted from April's shoulders making her feel a little taller. She searched her husband's eyes for the cue to hand the gift over to her parents. Jackson nodded slightly, looking at his mother-in-law's petulant pout, silently urging his wife to use the baby announcement to lighten the mood. April pushed the gift-wrapped box in front of her husband, signaling that he should be the one to deliver the news.

"With that settled, April and I have something that we'd like to give you." Jackson set the shiny present in the middle between the two sides. The two eyed the box suspiciously. Karen slowly reached out and grabbed the bow. The white ribbon came undone, and soon the lid was off. The residual anger and tension they carried melted into tears of happiness.

"Oh my gosh. Is this- Are you two...?" Her mother stammered. April nodded, her hand instinctively cradling their baby. Like a flood, the tears on both sides came rushing down. While her mother cradled her daughter in her arms, Joe gave a nod of approval. He reached over to the bark cart, grabbing his favorite bottle of whiskey and poured his new son-in-law a drink.

"Whiskey over ice," Joe took a sip, inspecting the amber liquid as he swallowed. The two men looked onto the women gushing over the tiny features of the black and white blob in the picture.

"This still doesn't mean I like you though." Jackson smiled, raising his glass to his lips. The drink was a start.

* * *

April sat alone in the rental car as she pulled up to her parent's aging house. The last time she had come home, she was floating on a high from being a newlywed and pregnant. April could remember it like yesterday; how her parents had put the two of them through the wringer, the shock on their faces when they saw the sonogram, Jackson sitting next to her at church in his crisped blue shirt. Now, she was a divorcee.

Her son was dead. There was no way to sugarcoat the facts. April teared up at the sight of her nieces and nephews playing in the front yard. April slowly walked up to the house, composing herself before opening the door.

Libby caught her first, her arms wrapped tightly around the surgeon before April could protest. In true Kepner fashion, one hand gently rubbed her back.

"No," April murmured, pushing out of her sister's grasp. The sadness was etched into her sister's features. Forcing a sad smile, April blinked back her tears. "If you do that, I'll cry. I don't want to cry."

"Okay." Libby slipped her hand into her sisters, leading her to the kitchen where their parents were busy cooking.

Her mother tossed a salad while her father carved the chicken, but when they saw her, they quickly abandoned their post to hug their daughter. Karen held her for a second longer, just a little tighter. When she saw her dad, she saw a swelling storm churning the grief and pain he couldn't express in words. A bit of her resolve chipped seeing her parents like this.

"Dinner will be ready in ten. Why don't you go relax?" her mother suggested in a tone that did not leave it up for discussion. April wandered to the window, looking out to her nieces and nephews in the yard.

Seeing kids now just seemed to remind her of what she had lost. Like any other time, her dad appeared with a stiff drink in hand. His favorite whiskey over ice.

"I never liked him anyway." His timbre cut through the silence like a knife. For the first time in a while, she found a reason to smile. It was such an obvious lie; it was comical. The city boy and the farmer. They were the odd couple on the farm.

"I can't," she whispered when he offered. Instinctually, her hand rose to her stomach. A weight tumbled off of her. Her secret was out.

Her father simmered in thought, sipping his beloved whiskey as he digested the moment. "Does he know?" April stilled, giving him the answer he looked for.

The two stared at the kids running around the front yard when they heard the bell ring.

An awkward tension settled at the dinner table as the adults danced around the topic of Jackson while the kids remained oblivious. April ate slowly, making an effort to swallow her food instead of just picking at what was on her plate.

"Auntie April, where's your baby?" The question rang out like a bullet and pierced her armor. She went numb, the shock climbing up her veins until it hit her heart. The walls she built to keep herself from falling apart crumbled. Like a seam coming undone, she began to unravel. The tears sprung in her eyes, falling in constant streams as they etched her pain into her skin like a river into a rock. Her cells screamed in pain, the cacophony of noise blurring her thoughts.

The silverware clattered against her plate as she left the table in a rush, her mother's hand grazing hers as she dashed out of the room.

Alone in her room, she curled up in her childhood bed and let herself feel.

A soft knock on the door interrupted the silence. April sniffled back her tears as her mother's palm rubbed her back gently, but they only came back stronger.

"Your father told me." April rolled over, looking through the dark to her mother. The pain April felt was mirrored in her blurry figure. Her mother cleared her throat, holding back her tears, "You can lean on us, April."

Her losses didn't just destroy her; they broke the hearts of those who loved her.

April held on tightly to her mother, the two women silently crying in the dark.

**A/N**

**I'm still alive! Life's clearly been crazy. If you haven't heard Ingrid Andress's new album, go stream it right now. This is named and based off of one of her songs, but Japril-ified. I have a couple of things that I'm working on and can't wait to show you guys. Stay safe. Stay Kind. We will get through this together.**


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